The release of TV show Nothing Trivial in 2011 put quiz nights on the map. Brendan Lochhead needed no more convincing – having experienced the pub quiz scene in the UK while on his OE, he created the Believe It Or Not Quiz Nights company in the early 2000s, which now supplies quizzes to over 300 pubs and bars across the country. Quizzes can be a boon for venues on quiet nights, bringing in up to 200 extra customers on a slow night, but as Lochhead explains, there are several things that establishments need to do to run a good quiz.
THE HOST WITH THE MOST
“A good quiz host will keep it running along at a decent pace without it feeling rushed, but will also inject a bit of life throughout with jokes,” Lochhead explained. “The problem with some quiz hosts is that they try to make it all about themselves.” Some venues spend money on bringing in big-name hosts like Shane Cortese, but managers will have to make sure that the extra outlay on a host is worth the investment.
GET IT RIGHT
“Content is king,” Lochhead said. The Believe It Or Not quiz-writing team covers a range of ages and interests, which means they produce content that appeals to everyone. “If ever there's an element of a quiz that lets it down, it's ambiguity and inaccuracy – the curse of all quiz hosts is being challenged by a team that insists a question is wrong.”
GOOD VENUE
Audio-visual aids are great to keep quiz-goers attentive, but sometimes bars just aren’t set up to provide such an offering. Believe It Or Not offers quizzes in a range of formats, from a standard read-aloud quiz to one with a slideshow, so bars and pubs can choose the right format for their venue.
